Permaculture - is a word coined by Bill Mollison which means permanent agriculture. He and David Holmgren created this system of design in the early 1970’s. This conscious design is a system of assembling conceptual, material, and stategic components in a creative pattern which functions to benefit life in all its forms. Permaculture incorporates the use of appropriate technologies, such as organic gardening, solar energy, wave and wind power.

The basic philosophy is to work with nature (the Earth) rather against it. This requires the designer to to use thoughtful observation, noticing what nature is already doing in the area, looking at systems in all their functions, rather than asking only one yeild from them; and then allowing these systems to demonstrate their own natural evolutions. 

The Prime Directive of Permaculture is: the only ethical decision is to take responsibility for our own existence and that of our chidren’s. The time to do this is NOW, as we are increasingly experiencing the drastic changes happening with the global warming phenomena.

To do what needs to be done so that our children’s children will inherit a beautiful, self-sustaining planet we need to apply the Principal of Cooperation. Cooperation, rather than competition, is the basis of future survival and the exisitng life systems. 

The Ethical Bases of Permaculture are:

1. Care Of The Earth - provision for all balanced life systems here to continue and increase. 

2. Care Of People - provision for people to access the resources needed for their exixtence.

3. Setting Limits To Population And Consumption - by governing our needs, we can set resources aside to futher the above principals.

Permaculture is such an immense piece of the “living on this planet appropriately puzzle” that we can’t do it justice in a page like this.  The best we can do is give you some threads to tug on and see what’s at the other end…

• Permaculture - A Practical Guide for a Sustainable Future, by Bill Mollison.  The ‘bible’ of permaculture, by its founder, from the publisher.
• Other good books on permaculture from Eco Books.
• Here’s a link to the Permaculture Institute - Permaculture.org for you to check out.
• PermacultureActivist.net - North American permaculture periodical, providing a current listing of upcoming permaculture design courses, and offering articles on permaculture design.